Flight Safety Foundation Honors Bryan Burns and Russ Lawton with Meritorious Service Award

On May 11, Bryan Burns and Russ Lawton, both aviation safety leaders from the Air Charter Safety Foundation (acsf.aero), were presented with the 2022 Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award for their contributions to business and charter aviation safety. The award was presented by Dr. Hassan Shahidi, the President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation (flightsafety.org), during the 67th Business Aviation Safety Summit in Savannah, Georgia.

“The Air Charter Safety Foundation-administered Aviation Safety Action Program has made a huge safety difference in Part 135 and Part 91 operations, all thanks to the vision and leadership of Bryan Burns and Russ Lawton,” noted Dr. Shahidi.

Since 1975, the Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award has recognized individuals whose work enhances aviation safety. Recipients have included industry leaders, government officials, members of the news media and researchers whose findings were especially relevant to business aviation.

“Russ and I are extremely honored to receive the Meritorious Service Award, and we’re immensely grateful for this recognition from our industry peers,” said Bryan Burns, President, Air Charter Safety Foundation. “ACSF has come a long way in the past 14 years and winning this award would not have been possible without the support, care and trust from our Board of Governors and members. It is truly a team effort.”

To learn more about the Meritorious Service Award and its previous recipients, visit flightsafety.org/foundation/aviation-awards/.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.